Mass death in Gaza continues and yet the world no longer pays attention, having been convinced that the genocide is over.
When rumours about a ceasefire started circulating in October, it felt like a distant dream. We clung to any thread of hope, even though deep inside we feared believing it. For two years, we had become accustomed to hearing about “ceasefires” that never lasted.
When the announcement was finally made, the streets erupted with ululations and cheers. Yet, fear crept into my heart that this calm might just be a pause before another round of attacks.
My fears were justified. Israel’s daily deadly attacks have continued; more than 400 people have been killed so far by its army. Many others have died in circumstances caused by Israel’s decimation of the Strip.
And yet the level of global attention began to decline. In November, I noticed that engagement with what I wrote about Gaza started to diminish, whether on social media or media outlets – something other Palestinian journalists and writers also observed. The world’s interest waned because the global public was easily convinced that the war had ended.
It became clear to me that the real goal of the ceasefire was not to stop the violence or death, nor to protect people or limit bloodshed and genocide. The real goal was to stop the world from talking about Gaza, about the crimes being committed there, and about the daily suffering of people.
Gaza has now become mostly invisible, as other news and other “hot spots” have taken the global media spotlight.
Meanwhile, mass death continues.
A little more than two weeks after the ceasefire was announced, on October 28, the Israeli army carried out a huge bombing campaign, killing 104 people. The overwhelming fear for the future and for my loved ones returned.
On November 20, Israel struck closer to my heart. The Israeli army attacked the home of the Abu Shawish family in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. My friend Batoul Abu Shawish lost her whole family – her sisters Habiba, 11, and Tima, 16; her brothers Youssef, 14, and Mohammed, 18; and her mum, Sahar, 43, and dad, Rami, 50. They were massacred despite the fact that the family had no political affiliation; they were all civilians. Batoul now has to face the genocide alone.
The Israeli attacks continue, and so does mass death by other means: Collapsed buildings, unexploded bombs, floods, hypothermia, starvation and illness – all creations of the Israeli genocidal strategy. We continue to struggle with no proper shelter or food, no heating, electricity or potable water.
The situation is so bad that winter itself is killing people.
We just had another storm. Tents were flooded and blown off again. Thirty-year-old Alaa Juha was killed by a wall that the rain collapsed onto her. Two-month-old baby Arkan Musleh died from hypothermia. In total, 15 have died from the cold weather this month. My family’s tent was flooded again; it is hard to describe the feeling of helplessness that overwhelms you when you can find no escape from the water and the freezing cold.
Israel continues to violate the ceasefire not only with its attacks but with its refusal to comply with its obligation to allow in the negotiated number of aid trucks, a full supply of necessary medicines and tents, shelter materials and mobile homes.
Israel is also curbing access to international organisations that try to provide some relief for the people of Gaza. New rules are making it hard for NGOs to register, including some as big as Save the Children. This, along with Israel’s continuous denial of requests to bring in aid by NGOs, is stifling international efforts to provide some relief to us.
Meanwhile, Palestinian organisations that try to ease our suffering are facing a collapse of donations. For example, the Samir Project, a donations-based initiative that provides material support for impoverished families and students, has lost a large number of individual donors and followers after the ceasefire was announced. Dr Ezzedine al-Lulu, the project’s director, confirmed to me that the decreased flow of donations has hindered their ability to provide essential assistance.
Israel is also keeping the Rafah border closed. There is no opportunity to travel outside unless you pay an exorbitant amount of money to Israeli-linked war profiteers and agree to never return. More than 16,000 people who urgently need medical evacuation are prevented by Israel from leaving; more than 1,000 have died waiting to be allowed to leave.
Gaza has entered a new stage of genocide – low-grade mass killing which does not make headlines because it is not as explosive as carpet-bombing campaigns. But the ultimate result is the same: The extermination of Palestinian life in Gaza. It is no wonder that Israeli politicians have not stopped talking about colonising our land. They still see Gaza free of Palestinians as a very real possibility that is within reach.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect media’s editorial stance.
